Alex Eala and Nikola Bartunkova will begin their Wimbledon doubles campaign against the eighth-seeded duo of Jelena Ostapenko and Sofia Kenin in the opening round.
Ostapenko and Kenin Have Wimbledon Experience
Ostapenko, currently world No. 10 in doubles, and Kenin, world No. 33 in doubles, enter this year’s grass-court Grand Slam tournament with valuable playoff experience from 2025.
Ostapenko previously teamed up with Hsieh Su-wei, and the pair reached the finals of the 2025 Wimbledon doubles tournament as the No. 4 seeds. Their run was notably impressive after eliminating the defending champions, Taylor Townsend and Kateřina Siniaková, in the semifinals. However, they ultimately finished as runners-up after a hard-fought match against Elise Mertens and Veronika Kudermetova.
Meanwhile, Kenin partnered with Caroline Dolehide and entered last year’s tournament as the No. 16 seed. The duo won three straight matches before eventually being eliminated in the quarterfinals.
Interestingly, the 12-time WTA doubles champion Ostapenko and four-time WTA doubles champion Kenin teamed up ahead of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships. They competed at the WTA 250 Eastbourne Open, where they defeated Nadiia Kichenok and Makoto Ninomiya, 6–4, 6–3, in the opening round. However, they were later forced to withdraw from the tournament because of an injury to Kenin.
With playoff experience from last year’s Wimbledon and prior experience playing together, the Ostapenko-Kenin tandem enters the second-to-the-last Grand Slam of the year full of confidence.
Meanwhile, Alex Eala and Nikola Bartunkova also know what it is like to play both alongside and against each other. The Filipina-Czech tandem previously teamed up at the Birmingham Open but suffered an early exit. Later, the two faced off in the singles final, with the 21-year-old Eala emerging as champion.
Considering that both pairings already have experience playing together, it will be interesting to see which team gains the upper hand once they clash on the Wimbledon stage.
Alex Eala Next Matches
Alex Eala vs. Renata Zarazúa
Tournament: Wimbledon
Date: Tuesday, 30 June, 8:50 p.m. (Time subject to change.)
Category: Singles (First Round)
Alex Eala/Nikola Bartunkova vs. Jelena Ostapenko/Sofia Kenin
Tournament: Wimbledon
Date: Thursday, 2 July (Time to be determined.)
Category: Doubles (First Round)
